Randwick Botany Greens are proud to announce their candidate for the seat of Heffron, Kym Chapple. A spokesperson for the local greens said, “We look forward to working with Kym to build on other Green …

It has been a huge eighteen months for the Greens on Randwick Council, with a strong vote recorded across the LGA in the Sept 2017 Local Government elections. Incumbents Lindsay Shurey and Murray Matson were …

Greens candidate for Coogee Lindsay Shurey has called on Labor candidate Marjorie O’Neill and Liberal candidate Bruce Notley-Smith to ask their party’s Randwick City Councillors to vote against an attempt to block heritage protection for …

POST COUNCIL MEETING UPDATE 28th November 2018. The rescission motion failed at last night’s Randwick City Council meeting. This means that the resolution to Greens Councillor Philipa Vietch’s motion made at the previous meeting stands …

Randwick Council to make a final decision on extending the Dudley Street Heritage Conservation Area – followed by a debate on whether additional Coogee dwellings in Dudley and Brook Streets should also be heritage protected. At this …

“We look forward to working with Kym to build on other Green successes in this area, including the election of Philipa Veitch to the West Ward of Randwick Council and many community wins on campaigns.”

Ms Chapple said:

“Heffron is diverse and growing rapidly, it’s a vibrant anddynamic place to live, work and play but infrastructure isn’t keeping up with local need with schools, transport and community space under pressure.

“The buses and trains in our area are overcrowded and wedesperately need upgrades now, not years down the track. But the priority of the Berejiklian government has been privatising transport with projects like Westconnex and knocking down stadiums rather than public transport.

“With half the residents of Heffron renting their homes we’ll be working closely with the community to improve renters’ rights and the right to secure, affordable housing that is not being delivered by the current system,” Ms Chapple said.

Background on Kym Chapple

Kym is a lawyer, activist and policy professional with extensive experience in campaigning for our communities and for the planet.

As the mother of two young children Kym is concerned about the shortage of parkland and open space for children to play in safely, as well as access to quality public education in the area.

Kym will be campaigning on the link between public green spaces and clean air with broader environmental issues and campaigns.

The Greens are planning a grassroots mobilisation in the electorate of Heffron, which contains voting booths recording some of the strongest Greens votes in the country, and borders the State seat of Heffron, held by Greens MP Jenny Leong.

It has been a huge eighteen months for the Greens on Randwick Council, with a strong vote recorded across the LGA in the Sept 2017 Local Government elections. Incumbents Lindsay Shurey and Murray Matson were re-elected, with Philipa Veitch newly elected for the Greens in West Ward. Lindsay Shurey was elected as Randwick Council’s second only female Mayor, stepping down in September 2018 to run as the Greens candidate for the seat of Coogee in the upcoming State election.

We have worked hard to progress important issues on the environment, social justice, and heritage in this last 18 months, campaigning hard on the Marriage Equality debate, winning support for victims of domestic violence, banning single use plastics on council and at council events, protecting precious heritage buildings from developers, and winning major amendments in our 20 Year Randwick City Plan to increase tree canopy, reduce waste, and move towards net-zero emissions by 2030.

In 2019 we will continue to work with our local community
and the Randwick Botany Greens on a range of important issues, and welcome your
ideas, input and support!

Attempted
to break the prohibitive monopoly that Ausgrid has in undergrounding of power
lines.

Calling on the federal
Government to suspend the rollout of small cell mobile phone facilities.

Achieving power bill
relief for Randwick residents.

Working with the community
and other Councillors to ameliorate storm water discharges at Coogee Beach.

Working to address issues that
emerged during the public consultation for the proposed South Coogee to
Kingsford separated bike path;

Member of the following council
committees: Aboriginal Consultative (Chair); Community Affairs; Older Person’s
Advisory; Power Bill Relief (Chair); Cycleway and Bike Facilities; Coogee Bay
Floodplain and delegate to the Eastern Region LG Aboriginal and TSI Forum;
Sydney Planning Panel and the Sydney Coastal Councils Group.

Statement from Greens Councillor Philipa Veitch – West Ward Randwick City Council

In 2018 I have worked hard to champion the rights of
residents impacted by major infrastructure developments such as the CSELR Light
Rail, the POW Hospital re-development and the Sydney Football stadium. My work
in 2018 has included:

Fighting for assistance for residents
affected by the POW Hospital redevelopment.

Making a submission to the Banking
Royal Commission regarding changes to Banks’ lending policies on company title.

Advocating for residents affected by
domestic and family violence, and winning a $300,000 support plan for a local
domestic violence support service.

Member of the following council
committees: Randwick City Night Time Economy; Environment (Deputy Chair); Community
Affairs (Deputy Chair); Greening Randwick (Chair); Cycleway and Bike
Facilities; Green Square and West Kensington Floodplain; Kensington and
Centennial Park Floodplain; Digital Strategy; Randwick Health and Education
Precinct Steering Committee; and delegate to the NSW Public Library
Association.

Greens candidate for Coogee Lindsay Shurey has called on Labor candidate Marjorie O’Neill and Liberal candidate Bruce Notley-Smith to ask their party’s Randwick City Councillors to vote against an attempt to block heritage protection for some Coogee dwellings at this Tuesday’s Council meeting.

Horrified Coogee residents saw a work team start stripping out ceilings and carpets from 148 Brook Street Coogee at 8am (Sat. 8th Dec. 2018) just days before Randwick City Councillors vote on whether to proceed with seeking heritage protection for the dwelling.

The call came after horrified residents rang Greens Councillor Murray Matson to alert him that workers had started removing ceilings and carpets from 148 Brook Street Coogee at 8am this morning. The removals come just days before Randwick City Councillors vote on whether to continue with seeking heritage protection for the dwelling along with neighbouring properties.

Ms Shurey, who is also a Greens Councillor, has called on other Coogee candidates to not to support the attempted overturning of the protection decisions.

“I call on the Liberal and Labor candidates for Coogee to ask their party representatives on Randwick City Council not to support the rescission motions at Tuesday night’s meeting.”

Councillor Matson states that yesterday a private certifier advised residents by a letter box notified residents that he given approval for 148 Brook Street to be demolished in 14 days time. A developer now no longer needs to get Council approval to demolish existing dwellings if the proposal ticks all the boxes as ‘complying development’. He said this morning,

“Peoples wonder why I am trying get various Coogee dwellings heritage listed. But they don’t understand that these days all a developer has to do to bulldoze one of Coogee’s fine old homes is to get a private Principal Certifying Authority to tick it off as complying development. Then there is nothing that Council can do. But by getting these homes heritage protected I can force developers to submit an old style Development Application to Council’s Planning department where it will have to be properly assessed. I am fighting a rear guard action against the fast tracking of demolitions in Coogee.”

BACKGROUND

“The heritage study rates the heritage significance of the building as “contributory”. In view of this assessment, the property at No. 148 Brook Street is determined to be significant in terms of the historical and aesthetic criteria of the NSW Heritage Office guidelines for assessing heritage significance and therefore warrants local heritage listing. Historically, the property is associated with a significant historical phase being the Interwar period and expresses through its fabric, continuity in this historical process. Aesthetically, the property shows distinctive aesthetic qualities in its form/composition including its original architectural detail and internal layout thus exemplifying the Interwar architectural style exceptionally well.” (Director City Planning Report No. CP57/18 Subject: Heritage Study of properties in Dudley Street and Brook Street, Coogee. Randwick City Council 2018)

The rescission motion failed at last night’s Randwick City Council meeting. This means that the resolution to Greens Councillor Philipa Vietch’s motion made at the previous meeting stands as the Council position.

Councillors remain divided on the appropriate response by Randwick Council to noise and vibration complaints from residents against CBD to South East Light Rail construction work.

Noise and vibration from the construction of the stabling yards for the CBD to South East Light light rail project have impacted heavily on residents in the adjacent Doncaster Avenue, Kensington

Randwick Greens Councillor Philipa Veitch is advocating calling the NSW state government to account for prolonged disturbance to Kensington’s Doncaster Avenue residents from the CSELR project.

Her latest attempt has been blocked by a rescission motion lodged by Liberal Councillors, which will be debated at tomorrow night’s Council meeting.

If the rescission motion fails the Council will proceed to put the existing resolution to a motion submitted by Cr Veitch at the previous meeting.

Council will urging that construction work on the rail stabling yard boarding Doncaster Ave be restricted to business hours along with all other work on the project that would not disrupt traffic.

The Mayor will also be authorized to put an add in the Southern Courier “…noting the failure of the State Government to respond to Council’s numerous representations on this extremely important issue.

Cr Veitch said today,

“I want the State Government to fully respond to the plight on my constituents in Doncaster Avenue who have serious complaints about structural damage caused to a number of houses. One has had suffered substantial damage to its ceiling.”

Randwick Council to make a final decision on extending the Dudley Street Heritage Conservation Area – followed by a debate on whether additional Coogee dwellings in Dudley and Brook Streets should also be heritage protected.

At this Tuesday night (27th November) Randwick City Councillors will consider two separate heritage reports dealing with proposals for extended heritage protection for various Coogee dwellings.

Randwick City Green Councillors support more heritage protection for the disappearing old homes of Coogee. Pictured is 41 Dudley Street that will debated this Tuesday night.

The meeting starts at 6pm in the Council chambers at 30 Frances Street Randwick (corner of Frances and Avoca Streets).

Both reports were initiated by Randwick Greens Councillor Murray Matson after he was approached by residents seeking greater protection for Coogee’s older dwellings of heritage merit. Councillor Matson said today,

“Coogee has lost too many old dwellings of heritage value. If we don’t move to retain what’s left we will lose part of what makes Coogee interesting for people who choose to live here.”

This proposal has recently come off public exhibition for consultation.

Council planners now recommend in this report that the Randwick Local Environmental Plan 2012 should be amended “…to extend the boundary of the Dudley Street Heritage Conservation Area to incorporate 38, 40, 42, 44 and 46 Dudley Street, Coogee and 122 Mount Street Coogee. These dwellings are described “as having heritage values that contribute to the Dudley Street Heritage Conservation Area.”

The report also recommends the listing of four of these dwellings (38, 42, and 44 Dudley Street, and 122 Mount Street) as deserving local heritage items items in their own right.

This report proposes protection for a further set of older Coogee dwellings that fall outside the extended Dudley Street Heritage Conservation Area.

The first part of the proposal is for the creation of a second “heritage conservation area” covering 37, 39 and 41 Dudley Street and 144, 146A, 146B, 148 and 150 Brook Street Coogee.

The second part of this proposal recommends an additional level of heritage protection for three of these dwellings, 39 and 41 Dudley Street and No. 148 Brook Street. These three have been identified as being of such significance as to warrant local heritage listing as specific “heritage items” in their own right.

The Council is seeking to establish a network of separated bike lanes in the local area in order to make cycling safer. The one proposed on Bundock Street will connect to the Kingsford light rail station via Sturt Street.

Greens Councillor Murray Matson says:

“As an elected Councillor I see my role to save as many trees as possible by pushing for design changes. The plan on public exhibition consists of a dedicated bike-rider-only bike path paralleled by a separate foot path, but it does not have to be that. The way I see it these two separate carriage ways could be combined into a “shared” bike and pedestrian path. This would allow for a narrower width where space is needed to retain a tree.”

Councillor Matson says that shared bike paths are being built in the Sydney CBD. He said,

“Bike riders tell me that shared paths work fine and that there does not always need to be a separation between pedestrians and cycles. They also report that Clover Moore has built many of her bike paths in the CBD as shared paths.

“The Prince of Wales branch of the NSWMA has presented a strong argument that improved nurses to-patient ratios can be expected to result in both better patient outcomes and reduced medical costs.”

The NSW Nurses and Midwifes Association (NSWNMA) has been campaigning for expanded and improved nurse to patient ratios since 2011. Their objective is to shift the current Government ratios and how they are calculated to wards.

On a windy day Randwick Greens Councillor and Coogee candidate Lindsay Shurey (2nd from left) turned up outside Prince of Wales Hospital to show her continued support for the introduction of staffing ratios for NSW Nurses and Midwifes

The association has invested in detailed research to support their campaign objectives to combat the adverse effects of high patient to staff ratios in our hospitals.

The association argues that better ratios are financially beneficial by reducing length of patient stay and improving medical outcomes.

A 2010 study of mortality rates in WA reported that lower patient to staff ratios significantly decreased mortality rates and overall length of stay per patient (source: The Australian Health Review).

Randwick Greens Councillor Philipa Veitch reports that residents fear they will be exposed to dangerous asbestos and lead as demolition work starts on their homes ahead of a $720 million Prince of Wales hospital redevelopment.

Residents of Eurimbla Ave, Magill Street and Botany Street received letters through their doors last year informing them that their homes would be bulldozed.

A process of compulsory acquisition was started by Health Infrastructure NSW (HI).

And while homeowners were invited to get their own valuations before negotiations over the final offer started Councillor Veitch says the offers were too low.

Councillor Veitch will be putting a motion to next Tuesday night’s Randwick City Council meeting calling on the the NSW Minister for Health, Brad Hazzard to prevent demolition work until all homes on the site have been vacated and fair offers made.

TEXT OF GREENS MOTION TO RANDWICK CITY COUNCIL 16th OCTOBER

That Randwick City Council:

Notes that initial demolition work has commenced on Eurimbla Ave, Botany and Magill Streets Randwick, in preparation for the construction of new Hospital, Research and Education facilities;

Notes that substantial amounts of hazardous material including asbestos and lead dust are to be removed, with major demolition work – including the use of excavators, trucks and trailers – slated to begin by mid-October;

Notes that at the time of writing, nine homes have yet to be vacated, with young children, elderly and seriously ill residents still living in these homes;

Notes that the majority of these residents have not received any payment from Health Infrastructure for their homes, so are not in a position to move. Notes further that these residents have expressed serious concerns about the demolition, and removal of hazardous materials;

Demolition work not take place until all homes on the site have been vacated;

All options to make an offer on the properties in accord with that obtained by the resident’s independent valuer be investigated as a matter of priority, to allow residents to purchase a new property of similar size and amenity to that of their current homes, and to facilitate the demolition and construction work on the new facility in a timely manner.

On Tuesday night (16th October 2018) Randwick City Council approved Greens Councillor Murray Matson’s motion calling on the “…Federal Government to intervene to suspend the roll out (of small cell mobile phone facilities) pending a review of the relevance of the international findings to the safety of residents of urban Australia.”

What’s going on? Australia’s Radio Frequency National Site Archive website shows that 18 small cell 5G phone facilities have already been approved in the Randwick City Council area with another 48 considered. A few are Telstra projects with the majority from TPG.

Residents recently alerted Randwick Councillors that the renowned Ramazzini Institute in Italy has announced findings of cancer developing in a large-scale lifetime study of lab animals exposed to environmental levels of cell tower radiation .

“A $25 million study of much higher levels of cell phone radiofrequency (RF) radiation, from the US National Toxicology Program (NTP), has also reported finding the same unusual cancer called Schwannoma of the heart in male rats treated at the highest dose. In addition, the RI study of cell tower radiation also found increases in malignant brain (glial) tumors in female rats and precancerous conditions including Schwann cells hyperplasia in both male and female rats.”

Councillor Murray Matson is urging fellow Councillors to support a roll-out suspension.

“It is my opinion news of these alarming findings now mean that we Councillors should be applying the precautionary principle to this new mobile phone technology. There are 48 streets across the Randwick City Council area that are going to have small cell phone facilities built within metres of bedrooms. Councillors should be calling on the Federal Government to suspend the roll-out of small cell mobile phone facilities until both Telstra and TPG can convincingly show that no significant cancer threat actually exists.”

Cr Matson states that the Greens will be putting the following motion to the next Randwick City Council meeting set for Tuesday the 16th of October.

TEXT OF GREENS RANDWICK CITY COUNCIL MOTION:

“That Randwick Council notes that the proposed rollout of another 48 small cell mobile phone facilities across the LGA on top of the 18 facilities already approved installations comes at a time when international research by the Ramazzine Institute and the US National Toxicology Program reports a link between cell tower radiation and the development of cancer. Accordingly, Council calls on the federal Government to intervene to suspend the rollout pending a review of the relevance of the international findings to the safety of residents of urban Australia.”